PHOTO: FILE
However, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) Chairman Tariq Saud said that the cotton held by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) was of low quality, which was the main reason why Aptma members were not buying it.
“We have already told this to Minister for National Food Security Sikandar Hayat Bosan that the issue is not about prices, but of quality,” Saud told The Express Tribune.
Aptma is continuously opposing any expected imposition of duty on cotton imports from India saying that the government’s assessment about the local cotton market is based on ‘false’ data.
After receiving complaints against Aptma of destabilising cotton market by importing cotton bales, the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research unanimously recommended immediate imposition of regulatory duty on cotton imports.
“We are not acting against the interests of our farmers. We just need quality cotton that we are not getting in the local market,” he maintained.
Bosan believes Aptma is responsible for undermining the interests of local farmers.
Farmers say that they have been facing problems due to low commodity prices for over a year. Moreover, they blame Aptma for aggravating the situation by importing from India.
They say since India provides billions in subsidies, there should not be any comparison between the two neighbours.
Aptma rejected these claims, saying that India does not give any subsidy on export of cotton to Pakistan. The reason behind the enhancement in production of cotton crop in India is the introduction of modern technology and research which we are lacking here in Pakistan, added the association.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2016.
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